ProgramVerifiedPro
NRO Commercial Radar Capabilities (CRC)
NRO study-turned-contract vehicle for buying commercial SAR imagery from Capella Space, ICEYE US, and Umbra.
The National Reconnaissance Office's Commercial Radar Capabilities (CRC) effort began as a study in January 2022 assessing five competitors' synthetic aperture radar imagery via modeling, simulation, and on-orbit performance. In August 2026 the NRO moved the program into operations, awarding Radar Commercial Augmentation (RCA) contracts to the three companies that passed assessment: Capella Space, ICEYE US, and Umbra.
Program detail
- Agency
- National Reconnaissance Office
- Acronym
- CRC
- Budget
- Phase
- Operations (post-study)
- Domain
- Synthetic aperture radar
Participants1
Frequently asked
- What is NRO Commercial Radar Capabilities (CRC)?
- The National Reconnaissance Office's Commercial Radar Capabilities (CRC) effort began as a study in January 2022 assessing five competitors' synthetic aperture radar imagery via modeling, simulation, and on-orbit performance. In August 2026 the NRO moved the program into operations, awarding Radar Commercial Augmentation (RCA) contracts to the three companies that passed assessment: Capella Space, ICEYE US, and Umbra.
- Which agency runs NRO Commercial Radar Capabilities (CRC)?
- NRO Commercial Radar Capabilities (CRC) is run by National Reconnaissance Office and is also known as CRC.
Sources & citations0
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